AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE being urged to stay away from exposed coasts this weekend, as another storms sweeps in across the country.
An ‘orange alert’ warning began at 3am, and remains in place until 9pm tonight. Winds of up to 130km/h are forecast.
According to Met Éireann, “high seas generated by these winds, pressure much lower than normal, and higher than normal tides will combine to put Atlantic coasts under threat of flooding”.
Following on from the recent rise in people braving harsh conditions to capture dramatic footage of floods and breaking waves, the Irish Coast Guard has issued a warning to storm-chasers to think again:
“Every call out that can be avoided has a knock on effect, a helicopter tied up unable to respond to an emergency out in the Atlantic, a rescue volunteer missing out on her son’s birthday party as she answers the call for help,” an update on the Coast Guard Facebook page stated.
“There are lots of photos of waves crashing over piers already, we don’t any more — but we do need our emergency services there to respond to calls that can’t be avoided, a ship in trouble, a heart attack victim needing urgent evacuation to hospital.”
The pictures here were taken by photographer Anthony Lynch during the post New Year storms, on 6 January.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, he said he was careful to stay well back from the crashing waves — others weren’t so lucky, as the images show.
One man was treated for an ankle injury on the afternoon in question, after being swept from the upper to the lower pier. He was taken to shore by lifeboat and treated at the scene by paramedics.
Note: If you do see someone in difficulty in the sea, on the shore, cliffs, lakes or rivers dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.
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